As the year draws to a close, our thoughts and support remain with the people of Ukraine as they brace for more conflict and prepare to celebrate the holidays without family, friends, and neighbors. We hope for a fast end to Russia's illegal invasion and that the Ukrainian people can return home with their lives and freedom intact.
Please continue to use the sources referenced originally in our March edition to stay up to date and support Ukrainian defenders. (Editors note - the freedom fund link in our March edition no longer works, use this link instead). Additionally, you can use this link to access the virtual sleeping bag and generator drive for Ukrainians which we discussed in our November newsletter. So far, the drive has successfully purchased over 500 sleeping bags that help keep Ukrainians warm through the night.
Here's what we have for you in this month's #BlueStarBrief:
President Macron's Visit to the U.S. - Observations From Our French Team
Sally Painter on NATO at the Atlantic Council's Central European Week
Happy Holidays from the Blue Star Team
When Macron met Biden: Simmering Tensions over the
Atlantic
French President Emmanuel Macron was in the United States from November 29 to December 2 for the first State Visit by a foreign Head of State under President Joe Biden’s administration. A year after the recall of the French Ambassador to Washington following the AUKUS crisis, the visit was meant to warm up and reaffirm the strong relationship between the two countries. President Macron intended to rekindle relations between France and the United States and "resynchronize the American and European agendas."
In particular, he planned to address the simmering tensions between Brussels and Washington, from Europeans feeling they shoulder too much of the price of sanctions against Russia, and in particular that their ally charges them too much to import gas, to persistent
dissatisfaction with the American Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Read more about our colleagues' thoughts on the visit, here.
BSS' Sally Painter at the Atlantic Council's 2022 Central Europe Week
BSS COO Sally Painter participates in a panel discussion at the Atlantic Council's Central Europe Week on December
5th
Reconnecting with friends and colleagues, Blue Star’s COO Sally Painter participated in a panel discussion at Atlantic Council’s Central European Week titled, "Twenty years since Prague: Lessons and opportunities for the future of transatlantic security". Reflecting on her work to organize the 2002 Prague NATO Summit, Sally outlined four lessons learned which can inform policymaker's vision for a stronger Transatlantic Future. You can watch Sally’s discussion here.
Happy Holidays - A Note from our Team
BSS Happiness Advisor, Amelia the Wheaton Terrier
Happy Holidays! 2022 saw us go back to in-person events in DC and around the world, and allowed us to grow with new clients and new partners. As we look back on our year, we are grateful to you for your continued support. We hope that the Holiday season gives you the opportunity to rest and to spend valuable time with friends and family.
Every year, in place of gifts, Blue Star Strategies makes a donation to a charitable organization doing work that we believe to be important. This year, we are supporting The TraRon Center, which offers a comprehensive program of counseling and therapeutic arts designed to help children and families who have been victims of gun violence. This small organization has had a tremendous impact on hundreds of families in
Washington, DC. and it is because of your support of Blue Star Strategies that we are able to support their work.
Thank you for reading this month’s #BlueStarBrief.
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